Organic light-emitting display panel and fabrication method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9590177-B2
Application number	US-201514615408-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 5, 2015
Priority date	Feb 26, 2014
Publication date	Mar 7, 2017
Grant date	Mar 7, 2017

Abstract

An organic light-emitting display panel and a fabrication method thereof include using an inkjet printing process to form the organic emission material of the display panel and providing a specific design of the relative position of the spacer and the planarization layer with ink-repellent material such that the spacer can be effectively fixed on the array substrate without falling from the planarization layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An organic light-emitting display panel, comprising:
a substrate, having at least one spacer region and at least one emission region;
a planarization layer, covering the spacer region but at least exposing the emission region, the planarization layer including ink-repellent material;
a patterned first conductive layer, disposed on a surface of the substrate, comprising:
a bottom electrode, at least disposed in the emission region; and
a position-retention element, disposed on a surface of the planarization layer in the spacer region, wherein the position-retention element and the bottom electrode are electrically insulated from each other;
at least one spacer, disposed on a surface of the position-retention element, wherein the position-retention element is disposed between the planarization layer and the spacer and structurally in contact with the planarization layer and the spacer directly; and
an organic light-emitting material layer, disposed on a surface of the bottom electrode in the emission region;
wherein the planarization layer comprises an opening that exposes the emission region, the spacer is composed of a spacer material layer, and a portion of the spacer material layer is disposed adjoining to the emission region and covers a portion of a sidewall of the opening of the planarization layer.

2. The organic light-emitting display panel of claim 1 , wherein the substrate further has a switch element region, and the organic light-emitting display panel further comprises at least one thin film transistor disposed in the switch element region, and a protection layer disposed on a surface of the thin film transistor conformally and the surface of the substrate and positioned under the planarization layer, the thin film transistor comprises a gate, a drain, a source and a semiconductor channel layer, the drain is electrically connected to the bottom electrode, the protection layer covers the emission region, the spacer region and a portion of the thin film transistor, the protection layer and the planarization layer have a contact hole exposing a portion of the drain, and the bottom electrode is electrically connected to the drain through the contact hole.

3. The organic light-emitting display panel of claim 2 , wherein the semiconductor channel layer comprises metal oxide semiconductor material.

4. The organic light-emitting display panel of claim 2 , wherein the gate is composed of a second conductive layer, the drain and the source are composed of a same third conductive layer, and a portion of the second conductive layer and a portion of the third conductive layer are disposed in the spacer region respectively.

5. The organic light-emitting display panel of claim 1 , wherein the planarization layer comprises fluorine-containing photoresist material.

6. The organic light-emitting display panel of claim 1 , wherein the spacer is composed of photoresist spacer material.

7. The organic light-emitting display panel of claim 6 , wherein the photoresist spacer material is further formed in a surrounding area of the emission region and covers a portion of the bottom electrode, and the photoresist spacer material comprises fluorine-containing photoresist material or other ink-repellent material.

8. The organic light-emitting display panel of claim 1 , wherein at least one portion of the organic light-emitting material layer is formed by an inkjet printing process.

9. The organic light-emitting display panel of claim 1 , wherein the sidewall of the opening is covered by the bottom electrode.

10. A fabrication method of an organic light-emitting display panel, comprising:
providing a substrate, wherein the substrate has at least one spacer region, at least one switch element region, and at least one emission region;
forming a switch element in the switch element region;
forming a planarization layer on the substrate, the planarization layer covering the spacer region and the switch element but at least exposing the emission region and at least one portion of the switch element, wherein the planarization layer comprises ink-repellent material;
forming a patterned first conductive layer on the substrate, comprising:
a bottom electrode, at least disposed in the emission region and electrically connected to the switch element; and
a position-retention element, disposed on a surface of the planarization layer in the spacer region, wherein the position-retention element and the bottom electrode are electrically insulated from each other;

forming at least one spacer on a surface of the position-retention element; and
performing an inkjet printing process to form an organic light-emitting material layer disposed on a surface of the bottom electrode in the emission region,
wherein the planarization layer comprises an opening that exposes the emission region, the spacer is composed of a spacer material layer, and a portion of the spacer material layer is disposed adjoining to the emission region and covers a portion of a sidewall of the opening of the planarization layer.

11. The fabrication method of the organic light-emitting display panel of claim 10 , wherein the switch element is a thin film transistor including a gate, a drain, a source, and a semiconductor channel layer, and the fabrication method of the organic light-emitting display panel further comprises
forming a protection layer on a surface of the thin film transistor conformally and a surface of the substrate before forming the planarization layer, the protection layer cover the emission region, the spacer region and a portion of the thin film transistor, the protection layer and the planarization layer have a contact hole exposing a portion of the drain, and the bottom electrode is electrically connected to the drain through the contact hole.

12. The fabrication method of the organic light-emitting display panel of claim 11 , wherein the semiconductor channel layer comprises metal oxide semiconductor material.

13. The fabrication method of the organic light-emitting display panel of claim 10 , wherein the planarization layer comprises fluorine-containing photoresist material.

14. The fabrication method of the organic light-emitting display panel of claim 10 , wherein the spacer is composed of photoresist spacer material.

15. The fabrication method of the organic light-emitting display panel of claim 14 , wherein the photoresist spacer material is further formed in a surrounding area of the emission region to cover a portion of the bottom electrode, and the photoresist spacer material comprises fluorine-containing photoresist material or other ink-repellent material.

16. An organic light-emitting display panel, comprising:
a substrate, having at least one spacer region and at least one emission region;
a bottom electrode, disposed on a surface of the substrate and at least in the emission region;
at least one spacer, disposed in the spacer region;
a planarization layer, disposed on the surface of the substrate and covering a top surface of the spacer and a sidewall of the spacer, the planarization layer at least exposing the emission region; and
an organic light-emitting material layer, at least disposed on a surface of the bottom electrode in the emission region and covering a portion of the planarization layer;
wherein the substrate further has a switch element region, the organic light-emitting display panel further comprises at least one thin film transistor disposed in the switch element region, and a protection layer disposed on a surface of the thin film transistor conformally and the surface o

Assignees

• Au Optronics Corp

Inventors

• Fang Shou-Wei
• Tseng Wei-Hao
• Lu Chia-Yang
• Chen Chien-Tao
• Shih Tsung-Hsiang
• Ting Hung-Che

Classifications

• H01L27/3258

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L27/3246

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L51/0005 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H10K59/122 Primary

  Pixel-defining structures or layers, e.g. banks · CPC title

• H10K71/135 Primary

  using ink-jet printing · CPC title